


Hidden in Plain Sight

by Fianna9



Series: Watching 'verse [7]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice - Mild, Disability, Hidden Secrets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fianna9/pseuds/Fianna9
Summary: Summary: Jazz is sent to Moon Base 2 to try to figure out the secrets of the base. He finds a bit of optic-candy with some secrets while he's there.
Relationships: Jazz/Prowl
Series: Watching 'verse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/64564
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61
Collections: ProwlxJazz Anniversary 2020





	Hidden in Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> For the ProwlxJazz 2020 challenge  
> Prompt: Free Space

Moon Base 2 had a reputation among the Autobot officers. Commander Sideshot and his team seemed capable of turning around almost any miscreant, misfit or troublemaker. They had taken the problem sparks of other bases and turned them into a fighting force worthy of being called Autobots. Thus they had no problem dumping anyone they didn’t want who wasn’t Wrecker material on the base.

It had a very different reputation among certain Autobot soldiers. According to the troops’ rumor mill the base ran in spite of Commander Sideshot’s efforts. Some whispers also said that Moon Base 2 could be a haven for those just wanting a place to belong and be useful.

Spec Ops had sent Jazz to figure out the truth behind all the rumors. Somehow this base had never been successfully infiltrated or overrun by the Decepticons. They wanted to know how this had occurred and if it could be replicated elsewhere.

-+-+-+-+-+-

“….you’ll report to Lieutenant Prowl to receive your assignments and if you have any questions. This is his office; he’s almost always here.” Standing slightly behind the eight other new soldiers, Jazz watched Sergeant Brownout wave almost dismissively at the door. Definitely an odd action considering the rank difference. Reaching up, their guide tapped a green panel on the door. “New recruits are here.”

“Please enter one at a time.” A calm voice echoed from the speaker. Deciding to wait and watch Jazz hung back as each soldier entered in turn only to exit after a few breems. Eventually he was the last one there.

Buffing a small smudge on his right arm, Jazz lightly tapped the green panel before entering the office. “Pleased ta meet….” Getting his first look at the stunning Praxian hiding in Moon Base 2, Jazz was struck momentarily speechless. Something the security camera in the corner spotted.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Despite being thoroughly distracted by the stunning mech hiding down in the duty office, some of the oddities of Moon Base 2 began to puzzle the saboteur. Red Alert was slightly…off compared to other Security Chiefs, but he didn’t seem to be quite the paranoid glitch the rumor mills made him out to be. Red Alert had a unique style all his own and some unusual regulations regarding paint, but most of the regulations barely registered with Jazz during the first few orns of his stay. A few of the odd ones did stick out though.

-+-+-+-+-+-

“What does he mean I can’t repaint my door?” Medic Lead Out groused as he drowned a cube of highgrade. “It’s my medbay now. I want the door white.”

“Security Chief says you can’t repaint it?” Brownout snickered at Lead Out’s snarl. Tossing back his own cube, he wiped an arm across his mouth. “Yep, base regulations state that all Medical doors must be red. Lounge doors must be blue.”

“Why does he care?” Lead Out grumbled. “Not like rooms moves on anyone. And why are all the energon dispensers yellow? Why waste paint on that?”

“More regulations from the glitch. I think someone tried to claim they got lost once as an excuse for being late. Who knows for sure anymore? Relax, Ratchet will get transferred back over any orn now. Pitspawn of a medic likes it here for some reason. You’ll go back to nice sane Moon Base 1. Lucky slagger.”

“Yeah. I’ll have to try and get that drone into medical before I go. Fragger always manages to avoid me. Him and his creepy minibots.”

“You and every other medic. Don't bother with them. Ratchet’ll take care of them when he gets back. No one else bothers anymore.”

Jazz sat huddled quietly in the darker corner, ignored by the drunken officers. Ratchet did paint every door red when he was transferred into a new medbay. He hadn’t done that back when Jazz knew him in Iacon. Maybe working with Red Alert had rubbed off on him?

He definitely needed to pay Lead Out back for the drone comment though; that was uncalled for coming from a medic. Maybe he should arrange a transfer to Crystal City and cash in that favor Blaster owed him….

-+-+-+-+-+-

One of the main things Jazz could report that stood out on the base was the plethora of minibots. Every time he turned around a different minibot passed by or darted around him. The difference in their behavior didn’t truly register until almost a vorn later when a new minibot, Hubcap, transferred into the base.

-+-+-+-+-+-

“Command doesn’t seem to mind him being here. At least he didn’t get assigned to Maintenance straight away like the rest of us.” Gears grumbled to Brawn as Prowl walked up to the far table in the rec room. “Put your aching pedes at ease and have a seat, sir.”

Jazz had seated himself at the next table earlier, hoping for this opportunity. It hadn’t taken long for him to learn that Prowl preferred sitting with the minibots if given the option, and even the most stubborn and antagonistic of them seemed to welcome him. Always eager to lay optics on the Praxian, Jazz readily took the opportunity to eavesdrop shamelessly.

“Hubcap was transferred here on recommendation from Blaster himself. Command already considers his abilities and training valuable additions to our base.” Prowl held his cube momentarily to his mouth before taking a drink. Jazz could have sworn he saw Prowl’s glossa sneak out and lick the cube edge, but it might have been his imagination running wild. "Like Bumblebee he is considered a desirable soldier."

“Doesn’t hurt Bumblebee is Ironhide and Chromia’s sparkling.” Brawn smirked. “Those two would kick anyone’s aft if he got mistreated, officer or not. No offense, sir.”

“There is no offense in speaking the truth, Brawn.” Prowl calmly nodded towards the gruffer minibot. “However watching how one chooses to speak is wise.”

“At least the kid’s safe here for now.” Gears grunted before chucking his cube back.

 _Interesting_.

-+-+-+-+-+-

While it was true Sideshot made little attempt to hide his distaste for minibots, a quick check of the base roster revealed there were now twelve minibots on staff; the highest number on any single Autobot base outside Iacon itself. Jazz had noticed during his ever-lengthening stay that the minibots were barely acknowledged by most of command. In turn the minibots barely acknowledge Sideshot’s orders. Despite what the majority of the larger soldiers and officers seemed to think, Jazz had noticed that the minibots were almost all a vital part of the base’s defenses especially against spies and saboteurs. They all seemed remarkable respectful and tolerant of Prowl and Red Alert, something that was even more notable considering how they handled orders from other officers.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Jazz’s gazed lingered as Prowl walking down the corridor towards him, the ever-present datapad linked to his wrist port as he moved from the officer’s meeting back to his own quiet world. The datalink was one of the little quirky habits Jazz had noticed about the Praxian. It had to be inconvenient to link up all the time as well as risky for viruses and data corruption. On the other hand, swiping one of the pads had revealed intensive recognition software that did make the data harder to decrypt. Jazz had to fight off some nasty surprises when he did his investigation; Red Alert seemed have been involved in the security software making it rather formidable.

“Excuse me.…Bu…?” Prowl had stopped mid-corridor, looking down at the lower half a minibot sticking out of an access shaft. Jazz looked down at Hubcap’s aft. Prowl seemed unusually focused on it. This better not be his rival for the Praxian; Blaster’d be annoyed if he took out his comm buddy.

“Sorry, sir.” Hubcap popped out of the wall panel. “Lines broke and we’re tracing them. Won’t be a minute, sir.”

“That’s quite alright, Hubcap.” Prowl sounded a lot more confident. “I was just making certain everyone was assigned properly.”

“No problem sir.” With a wave, the black and yellow minibot popped back into the wall as Prowl continued on down the hall. His sensory wings past tantalizingly close to Jazz’s frame. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch.

As Prowl disappeared around the corner, Jazz glanced back at him. He could swear the Praxian had almost called Hubcap Bumblebee.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Two orn later, Hubcap had repainted his yellow aft and arms a smooth matte black. He said he had been thinking about a change for a while, but Jazz noticed that it made him look less like Bumblebee now. Eventually, Jazz realized that almost every one of the minibots was a different color palette or pattern.

-+-+-+-+-+-

With all his tricks and sideways ways of viewing things, the final piece of the Prowl puzzle smacked him in the face many vorns later.

-+-+-+-+-+-

“That icy-sparked drone should take better care of himself.” Sunstreaker growled as he stomped into the training room.

“Huh?” Sideswipe trailed in just after his brother.

“He’s always scuffed up.” Sunstreaker turned and leaped at his brother. “He doesn’t take care of himself.”

“Watch it!” Sideswipe braced himself and let Sunstreaker smash into him. “Maybe he’s been sparring.”

“That deskhumper?” Sunstreaked snarled dismissively as he tried to throw Sideswipe into the wall. “He didn’t even comment on your new accent lines, and he barely even commented on my scratches after that brawl. It's like he doesn't even care about a proper finish. Too bad he’s not that oblivious to pranks; you'd be able to get away with anything then.”

-+-+-+-+-+-

Jazz paused the footage and thought for a moment. After a long debate, he shook his helm. There was no way that was possible; something that serious would be an automatic disqualifier at recruitment. A check of Ratchet’s records disprove his suspicions...Ratchet who seemed to spend so much time making certain he was the only medic that saw Prowl...

-+-+-+-+-+-

Prowl walked into his quarters, worn out and ready to recharge. A familiar black and white blur sat on his chair. He'd had fantasies about the Polyhexian in the past but finding him here in Prowl's sanctuary was another thing entirely. Something had to be wrong. Alarmed, he pulled back into a defensive stance and tried to comm Red Alert. [Security…]. Utter silence from a comm block greeted his frantic call.

The blur shifted and a familiar voice drawled out, “I've been trying to figure out how I was too blind to notice this about you.”

Shock and horror began to overwhelm Prowl and he started edging back toward the door to run to the safety of his creators. No one had ever figured it out. No one outside the family had known. Everything they'd fought so hard to build was going to be destroyed now.

“I've been fascinated by you since the first time I saw you. How could I know so much about you and miss something this big?” The figure rose from the chair and stepped toward him holding out a hand palm out. “You've done a great job hiding it. Don't worry, Prowler, I'm not going to turn you in. I'll help all of you keep it hidden from mechs like Sideshot."


End file.
